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MAGAZINE
LITERARY MAGAZINE HAMISH HAMILTON Five Dials, Issue 29 (fivedials.com) ●●●●●
Offered free from London publisher Hamish Hamilton’s website, Five Dials is fashioned in the McSweeney’s mould – substantial, writerly content, clean and simple design – and is marked by quality writing that gives credibility to its tagline: ‘Do you miss your attention span? We can help.’ On the downside, it is too self-consciously highbrow: enigmatic illustrations scattered throughout bear no discernible connections to any of the pieces, and there is an editorial whiff of ‘you should be interested in this because we are telling you about it’, which is a little off-putting.
The content is excellent, though. This issue features a long interview with the fascinatingly analytical French novelist Eric Reinhardt, and a piece on the life of Jewish weightlifter Grigory Novak that reads like a real-life version of a John Irving story. In ‘the Back Section’, the traditional book review slot is turned into a personal reflection on a particular novel, while a hugely entertaining piece from Richard Godwin notices the recurring mentions of eggs and bacon in Nabakov, and theorises about the great writer’s supreme valuing of little (delicious) details. (Paul Gallagher)
FLASH FICTION
LAD BY LAURA LAM (After Jamaica Kincaid’s ‘Girl’) Dinnae look weak; pit ithers doon afore they can pit ye doon; jis cause yer a lad disnae mean ye cannae help yer ma; dee the dishes if the wifey cooks; be cooler than a-biddy else; fitba is the proper sport; only toffs like golf; ye can nivver find a seat in a pub when a game’s on so dinna bither; always support fa- ever England is playing against; support yer local team or yer a glory hunter; when sumbiddy asks “alright?” always answer “alright,” even if yer not, unless ye ken em well; Irn-Bru is better than Coke; gingers are mingin and ye need tae let them know it; folk frae the country are sheepshaggers, so treat em like it; wear what yer mates wear, the dearer the clothes the better; real Adidas, FCUK, and Burberry is best, but if ye have to wear shite affa back o’ a lorry, then fine; wear yer cap backwards and tilted, min; ye need more gold sovvies ye can use as knuckledusters; the louder the car, the faster; if sumbiddy slags yer ma, gis em a Glasgae kiss; your da’s always harder an their da; ootdrink yer friends under the table; smoke like a chimney; trick our yer bike; try and pull the prettier bird, but if she says nit and her mate says aye then gang fer it; beans oan toast and Ribena is a proper meal; fetch yer da a pint o’ Tennent’s; dinnae smack yer sister, even if she’s a wee shite; follow this and you’ll be alright, ya ken? ■ Laura Lam’s latest novel, Shadowplay, is out Tue 7 Jan.
Events are listed by date, then city. Submit listings at least 14 days before publication to books@list.co.uk. Listings are compiled by Jaclyn Arndt. ✽ Indicates Hitlist entry
Thursday 12 Glasgow Read, Relax, Recharge Glasgow Women’s Library, Mitchell Library, 15 Berkeley Street, 248 9969. Noon. £2 (suggested donation). Relaxed weekly read-aloud of stories and poems. SWC Writers’ Hub Scottish Writers’ Centre, CCA, 350 Sauchiehall Street, 352 4900. 2pm. Donations welcome. An afternoon of writerly chat, coffee, and screenings. FREE Drama Queens: Play Reading for Pleasure Glasgow Women’s Library, 23 Landressy Street, 248 9969. 6pm. Join in play reading, featuring all-women plays. FREE Library at GoMA Writers’ Group Gallery of Modern Art, Royal Exchange Square, 287 3050. 6pm. Meet- up for local creative writers. FREE Friends of Kilgore Trout Science Fiction Social The Edward Wylie, 107–109 Bothwell Street, 229 5480. 8pm. Science fiction fans unite!
Edinburgh Big Bookgroup Quiz Central Library, 7–9 George IV Bridge, 242 8100. 6.30pm. Free but ticketed. Quiz for book group members as part of the Edinburgh Reads project. Booking essential.
Friday 13
Edinburgh FREE Caesura The Artisan, 35 London Road, 07719 481092. 7pm. An eclectic and experimental night of poetry, performance and spoken word. Saturday 14
Edinburgh FREE HappenStance Book Launch Scottish Poetry Library, 5 Crichton’s Close, Canongate, 01592 772279. 1.30pm. Launch of several new publications, including Hamish Whyte’s Hannah, Are You Listening, Jonty Driver’s Citizen of Elsewhere and Tom Vaughan’s Envoy. RSVP to attend.
✽ Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin: The Novel Cure
Summerhall, 1 Summerhall, 0845 874 3001. 7pm. £5. Berthoud and Elderkin talk about the book they co-authored (The Novel Cure: An A–Z of Literary Remedies) which offers a writer to see you through any malady. See preview, page 66.
Sunday 15 Edinburgh Forgotten Carols Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43–45 High Street, 556 9579. 7.30pm. £10 (£8). Ali Burns presents Britain’s lost Christmas carols.
Monday 16
Glasgow FREE Scots/English Writing Group CCA, 350 Sauchiehall Street, 352 4900. 7pm. Group offering critique of its members’ submitted works. Edinburgh FREE Blackwell’s Book Group Blackwell’s, 53–59 South Bridge, 622 8222. 6pm. Share the reading experience with a group of fellow booklovers. The current book up for discussion is The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey.
Tuesday 17 Glasgow FREE Xmas Speakeasy CCA, 350
TOP 5 WINTER READS
Ray Robinson’s new novel, Jawbone Lake, is ideal reading for the dark nights: a gripping, thought-provoking tale opening on the frozen landscape of its title. Here are five more recommendations for the season of ice and wonder.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret – Brian Selznick
Despite being over 500 pages long, this warm and magical tale can be devoured whole in one afternoon (preferably while curled up by a fire). That’s partly because half those pages are evocative pencil illustrations, but mainly because the further one delves into the story and its secrets, the harder it is to stop. Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow – Peter Høeg
Christmas time in Copenhagen and Smilla Jasperson returns home to find her six-year-old neighbour Isaiah face down dead in the snow. Decidedly chilly in every way, this unique crime story has an intellectual twist due to its utterly original heroine.
The Complete Calvin and Hobbes – Bill Watterson Calvin and Hobbes collections offer endlessly entertaining reading all year round, but Watterson’s particular ability to capture the winter season’s dual potential for mischief and wonder makes them perfect for this list.
Northern Lights – Philip Pullman
The first and best in Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, introducing headstrong young Lyra Belacqua, is a brilliant balance of thrilling adventure and philosophical enquiry. A story that contains a sustained investigation on the nature of the soul and still has time for a pitched battle between armoured polar bears is an achievement indeed. Blankets – Craig Thompson
This graphic novel is defined from its cover onwards by evocative, snowy landscapes, as the author explores his formative years in rural Wisconsin. Thompson revisits younger versions of himself without irony or judgement, making this a powerfully resonant and moving read. (Paul Gallagher)
12 Dec 2013–23 Jan 2014 THE LIST 65